Steve Balmer And Windows 7 Loves MAC Books

This is beyond hilarious, NBC did a good job of helping the Windows 7 launch. Steve must be ordering new chairs by now.

Via engadget

Darl McBride, Sent Home By SCO, The Serial Litigator,

Press Release that put an smile on many faces today!  (via Groklaw)
LINDON, Utah, Oct 19, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- The SCO Group, Inc., (Pink Sheets: SCOXQ) a leading provider of UNIX(R) software technology, today announced a restructuring plan following an analysis of the company's operations and cost structure undertaken by Chapter 11 Trustee, Edward Cahn and his advisors.

The company expects to finalize details of the restructuring and to reach cash flow breakeven for core operations within the next month. The savings are a combination of non-workforce related changes and a modest reduction in SCO's workforce. As part of the restructuring, the company has eliminated the Chief Executive Officer and President positions and consequently terminated Darl McBride. The current management team comprised of Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Hunsaker, Chief Financial Officer, Ken Nielsen and General Counsel, Ryan Tibbitts, will continue to work closely with the Chapter 11 Trustee and his advisors to implement the restructuring plan, move the intellectual property litigation forward with Boies, Schiller & Flexner, LLP and emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The company is also looking to raise additional funding and sell non-core assets to bolster working capital. These actions will allow the Trustee to preserve cash and the value of the business while enabling the Company to proceed with asset sales, pursue litigation against, among others, IBM and Novell, and to continue supporting SCO's loyal UNIX customer base.

"These actions, while difficult, are essential to SCO becoming a more agile and efficient company, not just for this year, but for years to come," said Mr. Hunsaker. "This restructuring plan reinforces SCO's ability to continue to sell and support its products while servicing the needs of our customers and partners on a worldwide basis through the stabilization of our financial situation."

Amazing 18Th Century Mechanical Swan Animation

If you thought Star Wars (the seventies movies) were great work, check this out, the animation was done in 18th century and entirely powered by clock work!

Meine Kleine Fabrik via Gizmodo

Warner Music Crawls Back to YouTube

After stepping away from YouTube last December and starting to pull off songs and making copyright claims or flagging thousands of clips from artists on Warner label, and making fans angry, sad and Warner coffers less full, Warner music has woken up.
Finally Warner seem to have come to senses and are back on Youtube. I think mostly they got worried about "YouTube Musicians Launching a Label". With all these, I like to know what RIAA thinks about the happenings?
YouTube Blog: Warner Music Comes Back to YouTube

Google Chrome For Windows Beta Update

The Google Chrome is becoming my favorite browser because it is supporting what I need even it is still in beta. I work with multiple browser windows and tabs and so far only Chrome has provided me with opportunity to recover gracefully from crashes that create due to the nature of my development and testing environment.
So I keep my on the development of Chrome and the Windows Beta channel has been updated to a newer version 3.0.195.20, which brings us better international support and stability/bug fixes for the New Tab page and themes support.

You can install the current Beta channel release from Chrome beta site or if you have Chrome already installed, simply select "About Google Chrome" from tools menu and it will offer you to updae to the newer version. (After update, I had to restart twice to get it working properly.)

Google Chrome Releases: Beta Update

Microsoft BITCHing About Firefox Downloads

Looks like M$ can't take a beating I guess. 1 Billion downloads of Firefox announcement has triggered off a bunch of comments from Redmond and they are not that great.
Specially the Amy Barzdukas, a general manager at Microsoft in charge of the company's Internet Explorer browser, has problem with numbers!
"As with any marketing statement, I'd encourage people to be somewhat skeptical about large number claims," she said. Yes specially with Microsoft ones!
Well I can give you some math Amy, I have a bunch of machine that run Microsoft OS, and I work with bunch others. First thing, even before firewalls and anti virus, I download Firefox and lately Chrome as well. I keep Internet Explorer around because I can't download stuff from Microsoft sites with firefox, like your MSDN. That sucks, Microsoft!
May be I should tell that to European Commission!
If Internet explorer was not bundled with OSs, I can gurentee that I would not download it. I also have blocked Internet Explorer from my windows updates! Because I do not need it.
You can read more at The Guardian

Tags: Microsoft, Amy Barzdukas, Microsoft BITCHing

Google Code Jam 2009 Announced.

Google Code Jam 2009, powered by Google App Engine, will let contestants compete in several 2½-hour online rounds. They will have a chance to resolve three to four difficult algorithmic problems during these rounds. You will be able to use the programming language and tools of your choice. Once the code is ready to run you will be able to decipher test data provided for the purpose. One wrong answer out of a hundred, you will have to rinse and repeat.

Registration is open as of today. But before registering, read the rules and after registering, begin to practice by trying out the problems from last year's contest. The qualification round starts on September 2. After four tough rounds of online competition, the top 25 competitors will be flown to our Mountain View headquarters to to match wits for the $5,000 first prize — and the title of Code Jam champion. Go break a logic.

Official Google Blog: Google Code Jam returns

Tags: Google Code Jam 2009, Google App Engine, Code Jam champion

Associated Press' New DRM System.

Associated Press has been trying very hard to fight that disappearing news business with every weapon it got
The latest is very innovative (to news paper world)! It seems that you can not cut and paste, man I have heard that before.
AP seem not to realize that they are not the only source of the news and nowadays, you can send an email or a TXT message to the source of the news and get first hand news.
CrunchGear has a better report with pictures etc, with four letter words and 50 Cents.

Tags: Associated Press, DRM

Windows 7 Released To Manufacturing.

Windows Seven
After getting many people to test the software, Microsoft has decided it is good enought for general consumption.

Once Windows 7 is complete, how do I get it?

The answer depends on who you are:

• MSDN & TechNet Subscribers: Subscribers will be able to download the final version of Windows 7 a few weeks after we announce RTM.
• Volume License (VL) Customers: Customers with Software Assurance for Windows will be able to download the final version of Windows 7 Enterprise a few weeks after we announce RTM. As announced today by Bill Veghte during his WPC09 keynote, customers without Software Assurance will be able to purchase Windows 7 through Volume Licensing on September 1st.
• Consumers, Enthusiasts, & Beta Testers (Everyone else): The retail version of Windows 7 will be available in stores October 22nd. If you pre-ordered Windows 7, it should be delivered sometime around the October 22nd timeframe (depends on the retailer). You can pre-order Windows 7 today through many online retailers like the Microsoft Store.
• On New PCs: OEMs are expected to start shipping new PCs with Windows 7 pre-installed on them around October 22nd.

Tags: Microsoft Store, Windows 7, Windows 7 Enterprise

Logitech Releases A Drum Set For Guitar Hero / PS3

Even though I cant play drums, this looks like a good addition to my Guitar Hero collection. I do have a conventional music gear and I can do most of these stuff with my Korg workstation. Yet I seem to be picking up this guitar that came with Guitar hero rather than the guitar that I have been playing all my life!

So I think I will get this for the drummer(s) in the family so we can make already mad neighbors madder.

Here is the press release;

FREMONT, Calif.—So you can really rock out to Guitar Hero® on the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3) computer entertainment system, Logitech (SIX:LOGN) (NASDAQ:LOGI) today introduced the Logitech® Wireless Drum Controller for the PLAYSTATION 3 system. Licensed by Activision Publishing, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), for the award-winning Guitar Hero franchise, the Wireless Drum Controller features premium drum heads with recessed rims – making it easy for you to play like a rock star.

"When you're ready to experience a new premium drum controller or expand your band, you'll want to rip on Logitech's new drum controller," said Ruben Mookerjee, Logitech's director of product marketing for gaming. "With the Wireless Drum Controller, you can mark time, keep the backbeat, color up your riffs and crash down on the cymbal pads. Joining the Logitech® Wireless Guitar Controller, the new Wireless Drum Controller lets you rock out to your favorite songs on the PS3 system."

The Logitech Wireless Drum Controller features three fully adjustable drum heads and two cymbal pads. Each piece can be positioned to fit your reach and suit your style. Offering a unique playing experience, the new Logitech Wireless Drum Controller provides quiet, responsive heads that deliver a lively feel, won't distract you from the music, and are designed to let you take advantage of all the latest features of Guitar Hero games.

But Logitech did not just replicate typical drum heads. The recessed rims help make it easier to score points and avoid accidental rim shots. The kick pedal uses a stainless steel surface and an adjustable spring – providing a highly durable, responsive drumming experience.

Delivering up to 50 hours of battery life on two AA batteries, the Wireless Drum Controller gives you enough juice to perform a concert's worth of hits, encores included.

Compatible with the PS3 system as well as the PlayStation®2 system, the Wireless Drum Controller uses a 2.4 GHz wireless USB receiver, so the connection is as steady as a drum beat. When you're ready to play, the Logitech Wireless Drum Controller sets up quickly and folds flat in seconds. You can start playing within minutes of opening the box and when the show is over, the set can be easily stowed away. (Roadies are not required.)

Pricing and Availability

The Logitech Wireless Drum Controller for the PS3 system is expected to be available in the U.S. beginning in July and Europe beginning in August for a suggested retail price of $229.99 (U.S.).

Tags: Logitech Wireless Drum Controller, PLAYSTATION 3, Guitar Hero

30MB/s Read & Write SDHC Card From Sandisk

Sandisk just announced what seems to be the best thing for my Digital SLRs. Everyone of them I have wished that they wrote or read faster. I am going to look forward to plug this into one of my fast cameras that does 5FPS and hold the button down for about 30 seconds.

Here is the Sandisk Press release.

SANDISK UNVEILS WORLD'S FASTEST 32GB SDHC CARD

30MB/s Read & Write Speeds and 32GB Storage Capacity Help
Photography and Video Enthusiasts Do More With Their DSLRs 32GB Card

PMA, Sydney, June 25, 2009 – SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), the global leader in flash memory cards, today introduced the fastest 32-gigabyte (GB)1 SDHC™ card on the market. The 32GB SanDisk Extreme® SDHC™ card at up to 30 megabytes per second (MB/s)2 read and write speeds combines industry-leading performance with massive storage capacity, helping digital photography enthusiasts utilize the advanced features of today's DSLR cameras.

"The market for entry to mid-level DSLR cameras is growing, and SDHC is becoming the de-facto card format for these devices," said Susan Park, director, retail product marketing, SanDisk. "Our card's 32GB of storage and up to 30MB/s read & write speeds enable DSLR users to shoot without worrying about storage or speed limitations. SanDisk Extreme SDHC cards provide consumers with a more enjoyable user experience, letting them focus on what is really important – the images that they are capturing."

Lightning-Fast Write Speed Captures Images Quickly
A memory card's write speed plays a crucial role in the overall system of the camera when taking pictures in rapid succession. If a card cannot process data quickly enough then the burst mode shooting may pause unexpectedly as the card catches up to the camera. Burst mode bottlenecks can lead to missing "the" shot, especially at sporting or other fast-motion events. The SanDisk Extreme SDHC card offers maximum data-transfer rates, giving consumers a memory card fast enough to unlock the full capabilities of their DSLRs.

The 32GB SanDisk Extreme SDHC card adheres to the SD Association's new Class 10 specification, which exceeds requirement for today's high definition (AVCHD) video recording. The card offers a sustained write speed fast enough to ensure high-definition video recording and capacity capable of storing 160 minutes of full HD 1920x1080 pixels at 24Mb/s data transfer rate.

Big Files Require Big Storage
Recently-released DSLR camera models like the Nikon D90 and D5000 offer consumers the ability to record HD videos, producing large files that can fill lesser-capacity cards quickly. Today's high-megapixel DSLRs also can generate massive still images like those produced in the RAW format used by professional photographers who want to take advantage of the enhanced picture quality and flexibility that RAW allows during post production.

RAW images demand up to ten times as much storage space as regular JPEG images, and when taken in rapid succession during burst mode can quickly fill smaller storage cards. The 32GB SanDisk Extreme SDHC card can store up to 2500 RAW3 images, providing photographers with piece of mind and confidence that they will not run out of space for their images.

Renowned for their world-class durability, SanDisk Extreme SDHC cards guarantee operation at extended temperatures ranging from minus 13 F (minus 25 C) to 185 F (85 C). SanDisk Extreme SDHC cards are fully compatible with any camera, card reader or other device that supports SDHC cards.

When placed in SanDisk's new ImageMate® Multi-Card USB 2.0 reader/writer, the SanDisk Extreme SDHC card transfers images and video to a computer at rates of up to 30MB/s. The card's fast data transfer rates enable photographers operating under tight deadlines to maximize critical workflow and enter post production as quickly as possible.

Class 10 Performance Sets a New Standard
An SD™ card's speed Class is based on its minimum data-transfer rate, and is used to ensure high-quality video recording standards. The SD Association added Class 10 as part of the SD 3.0 specification released earlier this year. The SanDisk Extreme SDHC card's performance exceeds the requirements of even the highest-quality AVCHD video recording device, and is currently the fastest Class 10 card in the world.

Availability:
The SanDisk Extreme SDHC 32GB cards will be shipping worldwide to major retailers in August. Also in August, the current 4, 8 and 16GB capacity SanDisk Extreme SDHC cards will be upgraded from Class 6 to Class 104.

Sandisk

Tags: SANDISK, SDHC, Digital SLR, FASTEST 32GB SDHC CARD

Google Holodeck For Streetview

Google HOLODECK revealed at recent Google IO in San Francisco.

Tags: google, holodeck, streetview

RussianMAC Clone Challenges Apple.

After the Psystar and it's MAC clones challenged the Apple, which still in the courts a new challenge has come in the way for Apple.
RussianMac (Google Translation) is giving a full version of Mac OS X Leopard comes with computers. Actually it is pre-installed on its computers. Whats more that it assures you that you can get updates directly from Apple.
They have a whole range of computers ranging from MAC Pro (Intel Core2Duo E7400 2.8 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB hard drive, graphics card NVIDIA GeForce 9500GT 512Mb; 8 x USB; FireWire; 20-x DVD ± RW drive) to MAC BOOK (Intel Core2Duo 2.4 GHz / 2Gb / 250 GB HDD / FireWare, WiFi, Bluetooth, Ethernet.) and seem to be pretty hefty machines. I hope Apple see the opportunity see the demand for low cost MACs all over the world, including not so well to countries.
Perhaps they should win over Apple! :)

Tags: psystar, Apple, MAC OS X, MAC Clones, RussianMac

BMUP (Beam Me UP) Apple / Steve!

May be a part of new apple ad campaign, this was found on Apple parking lot! Sure it is not a mistake! Beam Me UP! But Valleywag says a different story about Apple missing Steve!


[Valleywag] via Gizmodo

Tags: Apple, Beam Me UP, BMUP, Steve Jobs

iPhone DJ With A Rockstar!!

Nintendo DS Lite featuring ELECTROPLANKTON, Nintendo DSi with KORG DS-10, iPod touch loaded with Mokugyo 木魚), and an iPhone with Bloom, all connected to a KAOSSILATOR via a Belkin Rockstar.Cool
Jorymon

Tags: iPhone, Nintendo DSI, iPod touch, KAOSSILATOR, Belkin Rockstar

PirateBay Defiant! We are all The Pirate Bay!

As US is bringing the first pirate in ages to law, piratebay founders are defiant and setting up for a presumed very long appeal process.
While all these going on they asking you to ramp up listing and seeding of what ever you list and seed in connection with piratebay. But they are asking you not to donate for paying the fines!;
"We have seen that some people that we don't know have started collecting donations for us, so we can pay those silly fines. We firmly ask you NOT to do this. Do not gather or send any money. We do not want them since we will not pay any fines!"
The Piratebay

Tags: piratebay

Ipredator, Promises To Protect PirateBay Users From Law!

Wired magazine is mentioning that more than 100,000 users have signed up by paying $6 for anonymity on the net. Ipredator is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that provides anonymous connection to the internet. The service is provided by infamous Pirate Bay, a controversial file sharing information site. The IP addresses provided by the users ISP is not revealed to the internet but a second IP address provided by the Ipredator. Furthermore, Ipredator does not keep logs of users activities making it further difficult for law enforcement personnel to prove wrong doing by users.
The controversial Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive (IPRED) became law in Sweden and according to some sources, internet activity has dropped by a third in Sweden since then.
Earlier Pirate Bay was onlya service providing links to files but did not host any files themselves. I have no idea what this does to their stance.
Wired

Tags: IPRED, Ipredator, Pirate Bay

Nice Work Gee, PCs Are So Cheap!

Tags: Microsoft, Apple

Brush Your Cows For Happiness (Theirs) And Profit (Yours)

According to Trendhunter, "The cow brush improves animal welfare by increasing blood circulation while keeping the cows clean, busy and calm. A cow brush promotes cow traffic and natural behaviour. It contributes to the herd’s overall well. Cows will not scratch themselves against the interior any longer, which saves costs and prevents accidents. Increased cow performance is also achieved through better feed intake and milk yield."

Trendhunter

Tags: gadgets, cow brush

Google Docs Get Find and Replace

Cloud Computing
Google Docs have added find and replace and it could be used by either from tool bar, edit menu or by simply pressing CTRL + F.
I usually use find and replace because I can't write nor spell properly. As Google Docs blog says, there will be many uses for this function and happy to see that Google DOcs getting more functionality. Follow the link to read more and to get links to some other articles regarding the same.
Official Google Docs Blog: Find (and replace) my favo(u)rite colo(u)r and much, much more

Tags: Cloud Computing, Google Docs